Aggies drop first game; Zags win 6-3

The No. 8 Texas A&M baseball team saw its season-opening, six-game winning streak come to a halt Sunday afternoon at Olsen Field as the Aggies dropped a 6-3 decision to Gonzaga.

After winning the first two games of the series, A&M fell just short in the attempt to complete its second straight sweep of a weekend opponent. The setback dropped the Aggies’ season mark to 6-1, while Gonzaga captured its first victory of the season, improving to 1-5.

Unlike many of their other early season contests, the Aggies were unable to take an initial advantage on the scoreboard and allowed the Bulldogs to plate the game’s opening run on an RBI single by catcher Cameron Edman during the top of the first. The deficit was the first in a game this season for Texas A&M.

Gonzaga added a run to take a 2-0 advantage in the top of the second inning as the Bulldog hitters chased A&M starter Ross Hales (1-1), who was ineffective while allowing four hits and two runs in 1.2 innings of work.

Texas A&M sliced the early deficit in half during the bottom of the second inning when junior first baseman Jacob House singled and came around to score later in the inning on a passed ball. The base hit extended House’s season-opening hitting streak to seven games, joining teammate Tyler Naquin, who also singled Sunday, as the only Aggies to have hit safely in every game this spring.

The game remained a one-run affair until the top of the fifth inning when the Bulldogs plated three runs to take a 5-1 lead.

Senior shortstop Kenny Jackson cut into the Gonzaga advantage when he led off the A&M fifth with a home run to right field for his first long ball of the season.

Gonzaga’s Maxx Garrett answered with a solo shot of his own in the top of the seventh off A&M reliever Joaquin Hinojosa, who pitched well allowing just the one run and three hits in 4.1 innings of work.

The Aggies attempted to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting a pinch-hit RBI single from sophomore Brandon Wood to whittle the deficit down to 6-3. The score, however, would be as close as A&M would come to completing the comeback as Bulldog reliever Billy Moon allowed just one Aggie baserunner in the game’s final 2.1 innings to earn his first save of the year.

Senior Cody Martin (1-0) picked up the win for Gonzaga in his first start of the season.

For the Aggies, senior catcher Kevin Gonzalez notched his 44th career mutli-hit game with a second-inning double and a fourth-inning single. Junior third baseman Adam Smith also turned in a multi-hit game for the first time this season, giving him 30 for his A&M career.

Texas A&M baseball is back in action on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week when it hosts Texas-Pan American in a two-game set at Olsen Field. Game times are set for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday and 3:05 p.m. on Wednesday.

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